Even with the prevelance of digital devices, there is still much to be said for the time-tested pen and paper. That is why there will always be a market for companies such as Livescribe who try to bridge the digital and analog divide with their latest product, the Livescribe 3 Smartpen.
The beauty of Livescribe is in its simplicity. There are no new gimmicks or tricks to learn. Simply turn on the pen by twisting a ring on its cap and write on paper as you’d normally do. Everything you write down on the special Livescribe paper will automatically be sent to a paired mobile device via Bluetooth, where it can be transformed and manipulated just like any other piece of digital text. All of these happens seamlessly via the Livescribe+ mobile app.
The new Livescribe 3 Smartpen is the company’s latest iteration of the device and builds on the familiar features that have made the product line such a success. Aside from taking down written notes, Livescribe also allows its users to record audio through their mobile device’s mic for those moments when your hands can’t move fast enough. These audio clips are attached to the digital copies of the notes they write. The mobile app can automatically recognize and convert handwritten notes into digital text for sending as an e-mail, adding to a calendar or attaching as a memo. Here’s a video that details the features of the basic smartpen.
The Livescribe 3 Smartpen comes in two variations. There is a $149.95 basic set that includes the pen, a 50-sheet specialized Livescribe notebook, a USB charging cable, and the ink cartridge. The more expensive $199.95 Pro set includes the pen, a 100-sheet hardbound journal, the charging cable, an extra ink cartridge, and a one-year subscription to Evernote Premium. Unfortunately, the free Livescribe+ app that makes all these features possible is, at the moment, only available for iOS devices but an Android version is promised to come soon.
SOURCE: Livescribe
It won’t be soon for Android. From another site. “Livescribe says an Android version is being planned but hasn’t committed to any firm timeframe.”
Android devices would also need to support Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, which I believe means they would have to be running Android Kitkat.
Android 4.3, which includes plenty of devices. I can understand why they do this, but I don’t like it and I think it is not a very good practice as it does leave out millions of potential buyers.
I need it for Android, plain and simple.
It seems to do EXACTLY what I need it to do, but it just doesn’t have an Android app or a timeframe for one?